Thug Life
by Pale Meadow in the Moonlight
Summary: "Hayner is the strongest person I know. He hasn't broken yet, despite everything he's been put through. I don't know if it's better to be strong enough to hide your pain, or strong enough to tell people you're hurting." -Roxas. Seiner, AU, EVENTUAL YAOI!
1. Chapter 1

My favorite Kingdom Hearts pairing, it just seems so far off the mark, yet so perfect. Inspired by Xerxies19 story, Lifeline. Just the gang part though...

Disclaimer: Don't own anything this cool. Not even the plot, really.

Warnings: Intense violence will ensue, and so will abuse, and at the end, Yaoi. I'll warn you when that's nearby...

* * *

"Hey chicken wuss, are you alive?"

Hayner groaned and opened his eyes. Seifer stood above him with the struggle bat, grinning as he took in the defeated form of the young skater. Hayner sat up, ignoring the sharp pain in his ribs. He guessed they had cracked, rather than broken, but he wouldn't let the older blond know how badly he was hurt. He stood, and narrowly avoided gasping at the pain in his right leg. That might be badly hurt.

"Seifer, you win, happy now?"

It was an impromptu match, set in the Sandlot on a day where no one happened to be around. He started limping away, but a hand was put on his shoulder.

"Are you hurt?" Seifer asked with the usual scathing tone. Hayner shook his head and left the lot, heading to the usual spot. Roxas was the only one there, so he was the only one who witnessed the skater fall onto the couch, holding his ribs with a grimace.

Roxas didn't question, he just sighed. It only took about half an hour for the teen to get moving again, grinning at his best friend. "So are Pence and Olette on another date?" The blue eyed skater nodded and sighed.

"We really need to get partners, huh?" Hayner sighed dramatically, agreeing. After their friends started going out, they realized just how lonely it was to be alone. They weren't exactly the straightest seventeen year olds, so they tried each other out for a while. Roxas wasn't out, and only Hayner knew. Hayner was ballsy enough to be open and proud about his sexuality. It wasn't meant to be, but they became even closer in the process.

Hayner heard his phone ring. It was the ringtone he saved especially for his dad, and sighed for real. "Sorry, Rox. I think I have to get home." He answered it with a frown. "Hello?" Roxas heard yelling on the other line. "Yes, Sir. I'll be right there."

He hung up and stood carefully, weary of his leg. He found that there was a large bruise, and the pain suggested that it ran all the way to the bone. He waved goodbye to Roxas and started the trek home. It took him about twenty-five minutes of swift walking to get there, and his father would be pissed if it took him more than ten. He broke into a sprint and almost ran into Seifer as he rounded a corner. He shouted back an apology as he raced away.

Those kinds of occasions were the only ones he'd ever been able to speak to the head of the local gangbusting gang, the Turks, known to regular citizens as the Twilight Disciplinary Committee, without him trying to harass the younger skater. He was the town bully and hardass, but his gang was formed to protect the town from the real thugs. Hayner had always admired the taller blond, both for his self-sacrificing and for his fighting skills. But Seifer never missed an opportunity to bully him, and that smothered the admiration with an unhealthy dose of hate.

He guessed that he just used the thug as the only person he could pinpoint for his hate. He was picked on, bullied, harassed, and even jumped, on a regular basis. He couldn't hate them all actively, so it fell to Seifer.

Hayner got home after a twelve minute run. He was panting and in a lot of pain, but he went into the house with his head lowered. His father didn't like being looked in the eye. He sighed inwardly as it started again.

* * *

The dark eyed skater wasn't himself in the next Struggle match. He was beaten easily, by an amateur, and Roxas picked up on signs of pain in his abdomen. He was limping, too. It fell to Roxas to fight through the competition, and when he faced Seifer, the thug sighed.

"I don't know why I do this anymore. I've got much bigger fish to fry."

Roxas fought valiantly, but was beaten easily. After everything, Hayner was a lot better than him any day. The thug frowned and leveled his gaze on the retreating blondes. He was suspicious of what was going on with the dark eyed skater, but he shrugged it off as getting into a fight.

Hayner smiled at Roxas as they parted to head home. Hayner was rushing to get home, so that maybe he could get to his room before his father noticed him. The man had only broken into the room once, so that was his safest spot.

He had no such luck that day. The door didn't stop him.

* * *

It was raining the next day, and he found himself running unsteadily through it. The verbal jabs from his peers hanging around the usual restaurants were too much for him to take sitting down. At least Seifer didn't bully him about his orientation, being the only openly gay high school student in the homophobic town, or for the sake of having a target. He just bullied him about Struggles.

Hayner glanced into another shitty pizza joint, but he saw a few of the more vicious classmates. That was another thing why he preferred Seifer; he stuck to verbally harassing him. Struggles was more than enough of the harming.

He decided to give up on eating that day, until he remembered that Roxas had a friend that worked at that pizza place. The guy was crazy, but he was nice enough not to let Hayner get beat up. He walked in, glancing down at his dripping self. The thugs saw him and nudged each other. They sneered, but he ignored them. Axel whistled when he got to the register.

"Hey dude. Why are you out in this weather without a jacket at least?" Hayner shrugged and ordered a small cheese pizza. "You waiting for someone, or is that all for you?"

"It's all I'm gonna get for today, and I'm running on empty, so I need all I can get. Plus I can take the rest with me if you can spare some foil." Axel nodded and set the order down the line. As soon as the order came up, he took off his apron.

"It's time for my break, mind if I join you?" Hayner shrugged. He ate in silence as Axel babbled about the Turks. He was a proud member, along with his older brother, Reno. The redhead noticed Hayner's glances at the table of sneering jerks. He flipped them off and dragged Hayner and the pizza into the employee kitchen. His boss threw him a questioning look, but he let it be.

"Hayner, those guys are gonna follow you, aren't they?" The blond shrugged.

"I'll wait here until I can run. My leg's a little messed up, but I can manage now that I finally have some food in me." Axel frowned but he let the skater go to grab the foil for the rest of the pizza. Hayner realized that running with the food might be bad. "Hey, do you hang out with Roxas a lot?"

The redhead nodded. "Yeah, I'm seeing him today. Why?"

Hayner handed him the food. "Have him hold onto it for me. I'll stop by tomorrow to pick it up, but I don't want to be carrying anything when I'm running."

The redhead nodded and watched as the blond walked out into the main room with his head high. Axel heard the thugs commenting and insinuating that things happened behind the closed door.

They followed the blond before Axel could get at them. He frowned. He decided to talk to the leaders of the Turks about them. He didn't want the kid to get hurt.

* * *

Hayner sprinted as he rounded the corner, searching for somewhere safe. He could go to Roxas's house, but he didn't want to scare him and his parents, with the guys chasing him down, and he didn't want to put Roxas in danger.

He just kept running, not sure where he would end up. He heard the guys behind him splashing along and cursing at him. He picked up the speed and veered off to the Sandlot. He would pick a direction from there.

He was barreling through, and almost ran into Seifer again. The bully cocked his head at him, but frowned when he saw the four guys hot on his heels. Seifer grabbed one as they passed, throwing him to the ground. Another leapt at the blond fighter, while Hayner spun to face the other two. He head butted the shorter one, who fell to the ground in shock. The other landed a kick in the skater's cracked ribs, and he screamed as they broke under the pressure.

Seifer had fought off the two he had as the others hauled the injured blond off. He tackled one, slamming his head into the pavement. The other dropped Hayner and backed away, picking up one of his downed buddies and another got up to grab the last one. After they ran, Seifer resolved to set those thugs straight.

He knelt beside the gasping younger struggler. "I'm gonna call paramedics. Hang in there," he shouted over the downpour. Hayner nodded once before he whimpered and wrapped his arms around himself.

The ambulance only took a few minutes to arrive, and Seifer winced when they jarred Hayner's ribs, making the teen cry out. He knew what broken ribs felt like, so he sympathized with him. He saw the ambulance speed away, and was left with the police officer who had come to get a report. He shrugged. "I haven't seen them in a while; I never knew their names anyway. I saw them chasing down the little guy, and it was four to one, so I helped him out."

The female officer sighed, frowning that she was getting soaked. "And I assume we can trust the Twilight Disciplinary Committee to handle this?"

"We'd love to."

* * *

Review if you're interested!


	2. Chapter 2

This chapter makes me wonder if I should make it a crossover...

WARNINGS: Mentions of abuse, rape, violence of that kind. This chapter is only M for Seifer's potty mouth...

* * *

Hayner huddled in Roxas' room, sighing dejectedly. It was a week from hell after he was taken away in an ambulance. Besides his broken ribs, he had a cold, and the sneezing and shivering was doing nothing to save him from the pain.

As soon as he was conscious, his father was at his bedside, shouting at him and hitting him fiercely. Police officers came to take him away, and then came the questions.

"Where did all these bruises come from?"

"Has he been abusing you?"

"Why haven't you called the authorities yet?"

"How long has this been going on?"

Hayner answered these and more truthfully, telling everything to the Child Services worker. She was kind and horrified at the stories. Especially some of them.

The sandy blond skater had been handed off to Roxas' family, even though his parents weren't all that healthy. His father was in the hospital waiting for a heart transplant that he knew wouldn't help, and his mother had a heart condition and was in the middle stages of lung cancer. They were a good family, though, and Roxas' long lost older brother had contacted them recently. He had been living Destiny Islands with his adopted brother, and agreed to come to take care of his lost family. He had been lost years ago, thought dead in a drive-by shooting in his old home. The older Strife had lost all of his memories, and in the city, no one paid any mind to an unidentified child. He was Cloud Leonheart for years, just recently discovering his relatives and changing his name back to Strife.

Roxas was sitting next to Hayner, idly playing a video game. The blue eyed skater whipped his head around as the doorbell rang. He jumped up and ran to the door, opening it cautiously. It was only Axel.

Twice bullies came to the door to harass Hayner.

Axel flopped on the empty couch, sighing heavily. "Hayner, if I hear Seifer worrying about you one more time, I'll kill you both.

The blond sneezed painfully. He was shocked that the thug cared so much. "Sorry, it's not my fault I got jumped." Axel sighed again and curled up on the couch. He was asleep in moments, and Roxas was by his side, fretting like a mother hen.

Hayner sneezed again and gasped in pain.

* * *

The courtroom was filled to the brim, the whole town brimming with excitement over the case. It was nothing but terrifying to the teenager who was just a victim. Hayner sat on the witness bench staring at his feet. His father was brought into the courtroom in chains. He struggled a lot.

Hayner glanced up at the mass of people. He saw faces that had ridiculed him for so long, saw the faces of those he might've been able to call friends. He saw a collection of Turks scattered among the crowd, and his eyes met with icy blue. Seifer was there, watching out for him, right in the front row. The thug smiled.

"Good luck, chicken wuss, I'll be right here if you need me."

It warmed Hayner's heart knowing that he had someone to protect him. He always wished that he could have a protector, a savior from his hell, but he thought that wouldn't happen.

If nothing else, he had someone who wouldn't let him get hurt.

The trail started, and it was fairly straightforward. The judge read the first charge. "Child abuse of your son, how does the defendant plead?"

Hayner's father mumbled out, "Guilty." He looked anything but regretful, his head held high and a defiant gaze leveled at the judge.

She cleared her throat. "Okay then; that was quick and easy. You don't want to hear the individual charges?"

He shook his head. "Guilty on all charges of child abuse, you name it, I done it."

The courtroom filled with muttering. They had wanted to hear all of the incidents.

They went into various charges of misconduct, drunken misconduct, and drug abuse. Hayner listened when he had to; he was dreading the last charge they would bring up.

Then the time came. The judge even swallowed nervously. "Child molestation and rape of your son. How do you plead?"

The courtroom burst into chatter and the judge called fervently for order. She looked back at the doomed man on the bench. He chuckled darkly, the same one that Hayner had feared for so long. The boy's shoulders hunched, cringing.

"Innocent. This little fag probably likes it."

Hayner brought his knees to his chest, blocking out the roars of the spectators. He felt arms pulling him close, and looked up to see Seifer. The judge was calling for order and trying to get the thug to go back to his seat, to no avail. One frightened glance at her from brown eyes stopped her.

She looked at the man disgustedly. "Your claims have no effect on the charge, admitting to the act, regardless of imagined consent, equals the same conviction. Statutory rape has the same consequences."

The man shrugged and grinned at his son. "Too bad I couldn't take you for one more round, eh boy?"

The judge almost threw the files at him. "Get him out of my courtroom, right now!"

Hayner buried his face in Seifer's chest, eyes dry despite everything.

* * *

Everyone was staring; it was making him extremely uncomfortable. He sat at the front of the room as usual, and he felt twenty pairs of eyes on him. He shivered under the intensity.

"Hey, chicken wuss!"

Hayner turned to the door. Seifer was leaning against the frame, donned in his usual white coat and beanie. He glanced at the class, who were still staring.

The thug raised his chin and glared at them, effectively turning their gazes. Hayner frowned at him. "What is it Seifer?"

The thug sighed. "We're having a meeting tonight; Axel said that you should be there. I'm here to escort you. Can't help but think of the last time you were out alone." With that icy blue eyes ran over a face in the room that he recognized. "Hmm, Axel and Reno have been wanting to get their hands on those guys."

Hayner glanced back to the teen, the one who had broken his ribs, and noted how pale he was at what the thug said. He looked at the clock, noticing that they only had a few minutes, and looked at the teacher. "Um, Mr. Thomas?"

The teacher just waved him off. "Go ahead, it'll give you time to get out before the rush."

The sandy blond skater stood gingerly, wincing as he swung his bag onto his shoulders. Seifer looked displeased as he snatched it, leading the younger boy out of the school. They didn't speak until they were safely out onto the street. Seifer sighed and cracked his neck.

"Look, I'm sorry for all the shit I've put you through. Ever since I started recruiting for the Turks, I've seen you and known you could be tough. So I made fun and competed and everything so that you'd get stronger, so that someday you could be a proud addition." Hayner just listened, staring off into the distance. "If I had known how bad you had it, I'd know that you didn't need all of that as encouragement to get stronger. I'd have known that you needed it as an outlet."

The brown eyed boy shrugged. "It's more that you were my preferred bully. You would only kick my ass in Struggles, and leave the beatings there."

Seifer frowned and started walking. "There's some shit going down that's got Axel's panties in a twist. And I don't mean to make jokes, either. It's serious shit, and Reno is screaming about how shit's gonna hit the fan soon." Hayner made a non-committal noise and put a gentle hand on his steadily healing ribs. They had been sped up quite a bit by a magic that one of the nurses could use. Seifer sighed. "That's what this meeting is about, and the weirdest part is that somehow Roxas is involved."

Hayner glanced up at his friend's name, and remembered that the blond and Axel had always been very close. They had been side by side when their families moved from Hollow Bastion.

They walked steadily to the Sinclair residence. Reno ushered them in and started mumbling about "freaks lookin' ta off a guy". Axel shouted at him to keep quiet and gestured for them to take whatever seat they could.

The living room was a good size, with two black leather couches and an armchair to match. On one of the couches, Tseng sat stiffly between an angry looking Elena and a depressed Rude. On the floor with his head resting on Tseng's knee, was Rufus, almost asleep. On the other couch, Axel was sprawled out with Roxas, one at each end with their legs tangled together. Raijin sat on the floor near the doorway leading to the kitchen, and Fuujin sat on the dividing counter. Reno was pacing behind Axel's couch, shaking his head. Hayner was sat in the chair, reserved for him due to his injuries, and Seifer sat on the left arm.

Now that they were all settled in, Reno blew up. "How did they track us down?"

Roxas laughed darkly, something the brown eyed skater had never heard from his friend. "The real question is: how didn't they find us sooner?"

Axel sighed. "Okay, for everyone here, you have no clue what they're talking about. Something we need to lay down first is that Roxas and I came here from Hollow Bastion about a year ago. We were actually relocating, running from what we once were." Everyone was just staring at him. "Any of you heard of Organization XIII?"

Seifer frowned. "Yeah, they're the big leagues up in Hollow. Why?"

Roxas nodded. "Yeah, you know how they lost two members? That was us." After multiple suspicious glances from the older Turks, he sighed. "After a few events, we decided enough was enough and we got out of there."

Axel fended off questions about these "events". He swore loudly. "What they do is inhumane. We ignored it until they turned in on Roxas, and then on me when I fought them about it."

Reno waved them both off. "The important thing is that they found these idiots, and are maneuvering to attack them and everyone they know and love." Seifer growled, and Reno nodded. "Yeah, that's all of us, and our families. To kill them, they'd do _anything_."

Seifer wrapped an arm around Hayner, pulling him closer distractedly. "Guys, XIII is bad news, all we have is the people in this room. They'll take everyone out in days. What will we do to stop that?"

Roxas perked up. "I know a guy with ties in SOLDIER. You know, the big city version of the Turks, the inspiration to create the gang you guys have going."

Reno grinned. "Really, who?"

"My brother."

* * *

Yeah, I did just add in even more FFVII characters. SOLDIER will have oodles of them, maybe an OC or two. Oh dear... But since Kingdom Hearts is like a mass Final Fantasy and Disney crossover, pffft, they'll live.

I bet we all can't wait for Cloud and Leon! I can't decide who to put Cloud with... Any suggestions? I'm all in for weird pairings, especially if I can make it funny. Cloud scenes will mostly be comic relief, just because Cloud is so serious that funny things will happen to him.

Review, and I take suggestions, since I'm mostly coming up with this as I go.


	3. Chapter 3

I'm baaaack! I had this chapter written for the longest time, but I thought I had already put it up. Whoops!

Disclaimer: I don't own.

Warnings

* * *

Reno made a disgruntled noise. "Since when was he in SOLDIER?"

Axel waved him off again. "That isn't important now. What _is_ important is that he's getting a certain number of them to swing by and help out."

The older redhead frowned. Rufus yawned. "So who is he bringing? I used to be close to SOLDIER."

Roxas starred off into the distance. "He said he was getting Kunsel, Angeal, Genesis, Zack, and Sephiroth from SOLDIER. He has some other guys from Destiny Islands."

Seifer perked up. "Who?"

"Leon, Sora, Riku, and some girls. He says they're tough, and they would be in SOLDIER if the leader wasn't such an ass."

Rufus sat straight up. "I assume the leader is still unknown, right?" Seifer nodded.

Reno threw his hands up. "I hope we all realize that they've never been able to take the Organization out before. What makes you think that we will be enough to shift the odds in their favor?"

Roxas turned his head to the side. "I'm not all that sure. But it's our only hope, unless you want me and Axel to-"

"NO!" Axel shouted as he leapt to his feet. "We talked about that. We will never do that."

Roxas shrugged. "If I have to, I will." He stood and left the room, eyes downcast.

Axel growled. "They should be here tomorrow. We need places for them to stay. Cloud will be with Roxas and their family, and we'll keep Genesis and Kunsel. We go back a ways." He looked around at the others. "Any volunteers?"

Hayner glanced around. "Well, my house is empty, and a good size, I can keep most there. The girls might want to stay somewhere else, since there are so many guys that'll be there."

Fuujin raised her hand. "I'll house the females. Raijin and I will make them comfortable."

Everything was agreed on and Axel told them to be back at their house the next night at eight. Roxas was staying the night at Axel's, and Hayner decided that he needed to clean up his house.

Seifer told him that he'd stay there with him. "I'll help you out, since you're still hurt, you know?"

Hayner kept walking, sighing deeply. His ribs were mostly healed, but they were still sore. He took his key from his pocket and turned up his driveway. The two story home was nice on the outside, but he knew that the inside would still be coated with drugs and the scent of alcohol and old blood.

He opened the door and let the thug in, ignoring the surprised gasp. He immediately started by gathering the old broom from the closet. The two cleared out the living room and it only took about an hour. At seven, they took a break from cleaning and Hayner ordered some pizza. Once they finished with that, Hayner went up to his room to grab a small stereo. He brought it down with his CDs, putting one in with a grin.

Seifer recognized the band and they cleaned the rest of the first floor singing with the disc.

Seifer brandished the mop like a sword. "_Shut up, and sleep with me. Come on why don't you sleep with me._"

Hayner sighed as he remembered that he had that song mixed in. He hadn't thought Seifer of all people would know, and even _like_ that song.

Said blonde thug jogged up the stairs and slid down the banister. "_Shut up, and sleep with me. Come on uh-huh and sleep with me._"

After a few verses of that, with Seifer singing all the way, they had made it to the top of the stairs. Hayner took a deep breath. Seifer's eyes widened and he stopped singing to make way for him.

"_I love your body not so much I like your mind. In fact you're boring, pretend not being of my kind. You keep on talking of some girl that I don't know. When will you shut up, and when will we go?_"

Seifer laughed as they started the next part in fake female ballad voices. "_You were young, you're free. Why don't you sleep with me? You were young, you're free. Why don't you sleep with me?_"

They ignored the rest of the song, instead focusing on laughing with each other. Hayner thought it was strange for the bully to be so free and uninhibited, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. He decided to have them finish the hall before setting to work on the rooms. Seifer collected all of the bottles and broken glass and cigarette butts. Hayner scrubbed the blood and other stains from the hardwood. They both worked on the walls, but that was just a matter of a bit of elbow grease, and they took care of it quickly.

Then it came time to clean the rooms. Upstairs was three bedrooms, a bathroom, a master bath attached to his father's room, and two hall closets. He decided to go for the spare bedroom first. It was in better condition than the rest of the house, but the fact of the matter was it was still run down. One of their final tasks was to wash the sheets and all.

He turned then to his room, knowing that it would be easiest, though as difficult emotionally as his father's. He opened the door and took a deep breath. Seifer gazed around at the tiny space in horror. The furniture was broken, blood spattered the walls, and the mattress was the only part of a bed there. It was bare and torn to shreds.

Seifer gently pulled the blonde skater closer, wrapping his arms around slender shoulders. He took a deep breath and turned him out of the room.

"I'll take care of this, okay? If there's anything in particular you want me to do, tell me after I get rid of all this stuff."

Hayner sat in the hall, listening to his new friend shuffling around and grunting in exertion. He turned to the closets and started to work on them so he could pass the time. It wasn't long until they had finished the rest of the house in that manner. Seifer was looking sullenly angry, muttering obscenities. They threw as many of the sheets into the washer as could fit and then they took a seat on the couch they had dug out earlier.

Hayner was drained, and his ribs were throbbing. He jumped a bit when he felt Seifer pull him down to rest his head on his leg. It was comfortable, and Hayner quickly fell asleep.

The older boy rested his head on the back of the couch and sighed. _How could he live here? How did it get this bad?_ He looked down at the boy he had recently decided to take under his wing. The normally bright brown eyes that had dulled over the past few days were fluttering as he dreamed. He was coated in a layer of dust and grime from the cleaning, but he seemed content.

Seifer was just glad to erase the remains of his terrible experience.

* * *

It won't really be Seiner-ish for a while, but it'll happen in due time. I'll try to post quicker this time.


	4. Chapter 4

I'm sooooo sorry it took so long to post. To my many- and I mean dozens- subscribers, here is an extra long chapter. Things will be picking up in the gang related side. There is a bit of Seiner quirkiness and some troubling Cloudness, and hilarity of Zack and Sora in the same room.

* * *

Hayner woke to the smell of something cooking. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, looking around in confusion. It took him a while to recognize his house without the mess. He turned to the kitchen, standing and walking in only to see Seifer fumbling with the toaster.

It had to be the saddest thing he ever saw.

He sat at the table, sighing. He didn't know if he wanted to help, or if he wanted to see the thug squirm a bit. He guessed that he hadn't really cooked before. Then Hayner noticed the problem.

It was so unused that it had rusted over.

It took another few minutes of Seifer trying to get it cleaned, before he turned and tried to find bread. He didn't find any. In fact, there was no food in the house at all. They would have to go shopping before the guys came. Seifer sighed heavily, turning and running a hand through his hair, still covered in dust from the day before. He nearly screamed when he saw Hayner sitting at the table chuckling.

The skater picked up his wallet from the table. "There's a diner not far from here. Shall we go?"

Seifer glanced down at himself, his baggy black pants more gray than black, blue vest no longer quite blue, and the coat and beanie hanging over the empty chair. "We should probably get changed. My apartment is kinda far though. I guess I can run over and grab a shower and run back in about an hour, hour and a half tops."

Hayner frowned. "I have some stuff that might fit you." At an incredulous gaze, he shrugged. "I have some from when my dad's friend used to live here. He was about your size."

Seifer thought that it was a bit too convenient, but he just shrugged. Hayner took him to one of the closets, pulling down a duffel bag. He brought out a pair of worn jeans, a black turtleneck tank, and some black boxers. "Go right ahead. The guy kicked it five years ago."

The taller boy shrugged and went to shower. It was rushed, trying to ignore his snarling stomach. As soon as they could, they left for the diner, clean and starving. They were glanced at strangely, but they always looked at Hayner that way. Seifer was just an added oddity. Then they went shopping, at Rufus's expense, for supplies for when the Hollow Bastion group arrived. They spent the rest of the day straightening up the last bit of mess in the house, putting fresh sheets on the beds, pulling out air mattresses from Seifer's house.

Eight came quickly, and they went to the Sinclair apartment to pick up their guests. Reno was nowhere to be seen, but Axel was up front and center to introduce everyone.

"This is Sephiroth, Zack, and Angeal." He pointed to a silver haired giant, a spiky raven haired man who looked to be bouncing in excitement, and a dark haired man who was sternly glaring at everything.

Hayner frowned and nodded.

"These three are Leon, Riku, and Sora." He pointed to a brunette with a scar very similar to Seifer's, a stern silverette, and a hyper and smiley shorter spiky haired brunette. Seifer went up to Leon and shook his hand.

"Good to see you again. It's been a while." Hayner frowned, but left it alone. He guessed Seifer knew the Destiny Islands gang, or at least some of them. It seemed that Fu had already taken the girls, and they were free to lead the guys back to his home.

Roxas was sitting on the coffee table talking to another blond. That must've been Cloud, since they looked so similar. Roxas waved to Hayner and went back to talking. He seemed too engrossed to pay him any mind.

They left with the six other males, leading them through town to his house. He scowled at it, silently vowing to sell it and go live somewhere else. Seifer shoved his hands into his pockets, muttering as he opened the door and let the guys in. Leon glared at him, but then he seemed to glare at everything, just like Sephiroth, Angeal, and Riku. Sora and Zack on the other hand, they grabbed hold of one of Hayner's hands each and dragged him inside, hurriedly talking about _everything_.

"Do you have any video games?"

"What about a weight room? I have one of those."

"Is there a playground nearby?"

"Do you have any pets? I love puppies and kittens!"

Hayner was overwhelmed at the excitement. Riku took hold of Sora and sat him on the couch, telling him to calm down before he hurt himself. Angeal thwacked Zack on the back of the head and threatened him.

Seifer sighed heavily. "Rooms will be arranged as follows. There's a master bedroom upstairs with a king size bed. Two upstairs bedrooms with singles. Two couches, one pull out loveseat. Three air mattresses. There's an entertainment room downstairs that Hayner and I will share, so go figure out what you guys want to do with the arrangements."

Zack grabbed Angeal and bolted upstairs, shouting about exploring. Sora followed only slightly slower due to his smaller legs. Riku chased him in concern, carrying their bags. Sephiroth trudged upstairs, eyes bored and cynical. Leon glared at the world slightly harsher, following the man.

Seifer sighed again. "This whole thing is gonna go to hell in a hand basket. I can already hear the arguments and fights breaking out."

Hayner laughed and shook his head. He turned to the entertainment room, which was settled next to the kitchen and three steps down from the door. Seifer had set up a spare mattress he had at his house, which was an old king size. It had plenty of room for the both of them. They set up their areas, sets of clothes so they wouldn't have to go too far to get them each day. They also set up chairs and such around the room for when Sora realized that "entertainment room" meant "videogames". Hayner didn't own any, but Seifer brought over all of his. It wasn't long before they heard a loud thud from upstairs. Seifer ran up, keeping Hayner safe behind his arm as they came upon a scene. Zack had sobered, and Angeal was on the ground groaning. Sephiroth was standing over him with a scowl.

"One more word out of you and you'll be going back to base. We don't need you to be here." The silver haired man disappeared into the master bedroom. Zack sighed and dragged Angeal into one of the bedrooms where there was an air mattress set up next to the bed. In the other bedroom, Sora sat on the bed and Leon and Riku were dutifully arranging the air mattresses so they would have a bit of space.

Hayner leaned over to Seifer. "Seems like we know who the boss is around here."

The blond thug huffed. "It doesn't matter, as long as he doesn't try to take over the Turks."

Night was falling, and they went downstairs to rustle up something for the group to eat. Hayner skillfully made burgers, and the smell of fresh meat brought every single person downstairs. It was a tense and somewhat disgusting affair. The guys from SOLDIER were tearing into their food as if they hadn't eaten in weeks, while the Destiny guys were almost as bad. Hayner suspected it was to keep the SOLDIERs from jumping them for the burgers. Seifer leaned against the sink and ate his burger slowly. He waited until the other males had wandered back upstairs for a while before he turned to Hayner.

"You're pale. What's wrong?"

The skater shrugged. "I have six strange men in my house. Soon I'm going to go out and fight the most well known gang this century. It's all strange, I guess."

Seifer straightened up. "Right. You're going to be fighting too. I need to give you something to use as a weapon." He thought for a while before his eyes brightened up. "You have some guns from your dad's room, but usually we end up fist fighting." Hayner was hesitant about using a gun, but if he had to, he would. "Eventually I'll have Tseng teach you some martial arts, and train you with guns to pick out your favorite."

They heard someone in the hall and Sora came into the kitchen. His eyes were somber but he still had a big smile. "Cloud just called. He said-" Hayner's phone went off.

He fumbled for it, apologizing to Sora. "Yes?" he said when he opened it.

"_Yo, we're meeting at the Usual Spot. Everyone. Reno and Tseng found them, and we're moving in early. Get there in one hour._" Roxas sounded different since he told them that he was involved with XIII.

"Sure." He realized that Roxas had hung up.

Seifer nodded and they ran upstairs, getting two pistols from the gun case in Hayner's dad's- now Sephiroth's- room. The tall man glared at them, since they barged in while he was changing, but they didn't particularly care. They ran down to change as well, not caring that they were doing it in front of each other.

Seifer threw on his baggy gray sweatpants, being his most comfortable fighting pants, and a black wife beater. His black boots were a constant presence; they were even thought to be his only shoes. He turned and saw Hayner waiting in army camouflage pants- the new kind, with lighter versions of the colors, guessed to be used for the desert- and tan combat boots with strange coppery stains on them. He realized with a jolt that they were bloodstains. That was all he was wearing. His torso was impressive looking, littered with scars that tried but failed to cover his six pack. Seifer resisted checking to see if he looked as fierce as the younger teen.

He also had to resist thinking of the skater- no, fighter- without the rest of his clothes.

They hurried out, waiting for the last of the group. Leon was in the hall, wearing black leather pants and jacket with a white shirt. Sephiroth also had leather pants and a mesh shirt. Zack and Angeal wore jeans, blue and black respectively. Zack had a black wife beater, and Angeal a white tee. They all heard Riku rushing Sora. Riku led the way down in leather much like Leon's, but the jacket was a duster and the shirt also black. Sora was in a pair of khaki shorts and a black and red shirt.

All in all, they looked tough but unorganized. Riku, Leon, and Sephiroth looked like they belonged to the same gang, while Hayner, Seifer, Zack, and Angeal looked like they were associated, but with Hayner as a definite leader. Sora looked like the kid that just happened to pass by.

Since Sora and the leather wearers took such a long time, they only had fifteen minutes to get there. Hayner stood by the door and spoke hurriedly. "Okay, to get there on time we need to run. Follow me, Seifer will pick up the rear and lock the house behind us."

He set off at a brisk pace, loving the feel of the breeze on his skin. He glanced back to see everyone keeping up, so he trusted them to follow. Ten minutes later, they arrived at the Usual Spot, and were the first there. Zack trotted up to him. "You're a good runner. You tired at all?" Hayner shook his head. He wasn't even breathing hard. "Good, you and I are going running tomorrow morning. It'll be great to finally have someone who can keep up the distance." Hayner looked around and saw even Sephiroth and Leon were out of breath.

Roxas and Cloud came up at that moment and Cloud frowned. "No one can keep up with you. You run ten miles a day when you can."

Hayner shrugged. "I ran a lot ever since I was a kid. After years of running so fast and far for my own safety, ten miles at that pace sounds about right."

Zack grinned at whooped.

Cloud turned to the group. "Okay, the rest should get here at any time." He held his hand out to Hayner. "I'm Cloud. Roxas told me all about you when he and I were writing during your trials. I admire you for how strong you are." Hayner thanked him and shook his hand. He was honored to be thought of that way.

Fuujin and Raijin came up with a group of girls trailing behind. Cloud introduced them.

"This is Kairi." The little redhead ran over to Sora and Riku. She was in black shorts and a white shirt.

"This is Tifa." This was a dark haired woman about Cloud and Leon's age, with a very voluptuous chest. She was in a leather miniskirt and a tiny white tank top that showed her stomach.

"This is Rikku." A dread locked blond with a tiny tan shirt and tiny khaki shorts.

"This is Namine." A blond that looked almost identical to Kairi, even to the clothes. They were a black shirt and white shorts. She went over to Sora as well.

They all looked feminine but feisty, and Seifer could tell that they were also fighters. They were only waiting for Axel and his bunch. Cloud leaned against a wall, watching everyone as Sephiroth approached him. He turned his head to the man to accept a small kiss. Leon snarled and turned to Sora who was talking to his friends. Zack snuck up on Angeal and leapt onto his back. Apparently this was expected since he immediately threw the younger man off.

Hayner just shook his head at the antics and troubles of the groups. Seifer was talking lowly with Fuujin. He was essentially alone, until he saw Pence and Olette walking up the alley. They were holding hands and whispering in each other's ears, making each other blush. Seifer was about to kick them out, but Hayner got there first.

"Guys. You need to take your date somewhere else. Sorry, but you can't fuck here this time." He spoke lowly enough that no one else could hear. They looked at each other. "There's something going on around the city that you can't get involved in." They looked at the large group around the outside of the Usual Spot. They paled, seeing how tough they all looked. "You need to get inside your houses." They nodded, and though they glanced at the people with guns lightly outlined under their shirts, they didn't stop running away.

Seifer nodded at him in thanks. They waited for another five minutes until Reno and Axel led another two redheads up to the group. They were introduced as Kunsel and Genesis. Sephiroth pulled Genesis aside into a joining alley and kissed him deeply. They didn't see that Hayner had a small view of it.

Hayner's eyes were huge, glancing from Cloud to Sephiroth to Genesis.

Reno got everyone's attention. "Yo, we all need to head to the tunnels. There's a room down there that they're all using at a home base. Tseng and Elena did a head count of them, and they got twelve."

Seifer frowned. "So are they missing one or have an extra one?"

Reno sighed. "They have an extra. But it must be a temporary member. They lost number eight and number thirteen, and they will never replace the original members. It's just the way their leader does things."

Fuujin looked up at Raijin and he nodded. "What can you tell us about the members, y' know?"

Axel perked up. "The leader is Xemnas. He actually doesn't usually join in, he just sends out his second in command, Saïx. They call Xemnas 'Superior'. He's number one. Number two is Xigbar. He likes guns more than necessary. He doesn't fight hand to hand. Number three is Xaldin, and he has a thing for dragons and breezy places. Number four is Vexen, a real creeper scientist type. Five is Lexaeus, a hulk of a guy that'll rip your head off. Six is Zexion. He's the brains. Seven is Saix, basically Xemnas's errand boy and second leader. I was number eight, their pyro. The ninth is actually a sweet guy. Demyx is just a musician that ended up in the mix to help out his sister when they were living on the streets. He won't be much of a problem as long as she isn't threatened. Luxord is ten, and he's a gambler that got stuck with a debt to Xemnas. He's a great fighter and very manipulative. Eleven is Marluxia, a feisty guy with pink hair. He used to be a prostitute, so he knows how to fight, if only from when he didn't get his money. Larxene, Demyx's sister, is number twelve, and she loves knives more than should be healthy. Thirteen was Roxy. He was our best fighter. No one could beat him, no matter how hard we tried. He even toppled Lexaeus." Axel grinned at his younger friend.

Reno was deep in thought, as was Sephiroth. Tseng arrived with Elena and Rude, and they set off. They all separated into groups that knew the tunnels. Hayner was in charge of Riku, Sora, Kairi, and Namine. They sent him through the longest route and he lead them through tiny openings and sewers and they all ended up crouched on a ledge far enough out of the way that the people in the room below wouldn't see them. He saw Seifer with Sephiroth, Leon, Fuu, and Rai. They were waiting for Axel and Roxas to give the signal. In total, they had twenty-three people. They wanted to take out the whole group. This would be harder than one would think. XIII was a very powerful group.

Hayner glanced at Seifer, who was watching him intently. It gave him a strange feeling. Before he could ponder it, he felt someone rush forward from behind him. He grabbed Kairi before she could give them away.

"Let me go!" she whispered as she struggled. "Our sister is down there."

Namine was next to him, lying close to the ground and staring at a little black haired girl. She was wearing black shorts identical to Kairi's, and a black shirt like Namine's. Hayner could tell that they were triplets, despite the different hair colors. They watched as she was pushed against the wall and kissed roughly by a guy in a dragon tee shirt. Kairi was struggling with all her might, but she couldn't break out of Hayner's grasp. Namine was breathing in gasps, eyes tearing up. He wasn't sure why they brought her, thinking that fighting would be too difficult for her emotionally. Initially, only the Turks will go down, but when they give the signal, SOLDIER will jump in. The Destiny Islands group will go in last, and only if they would be needed to tip the scales. Hayner looked to Riku, and the older male nodded, showing that he'd keep the girls back as long as humanly possible.

Hayner looked up at Roxas who had arrived on the scene. He was with Cloud in another alcove. Axel and Reno were in one next to his own. He watched as the former Organization members dropped swiftly into the room. They could all hear Axel's cocky voice.

"Yo, Superior. Surprised to see you getting in on the action." He sauntered up to a tan man with dull silver hair. "I heard you guys were in town, and XIII here was just _killing_ to see you again."

They all had frozen to the spot, completely shocked to see their target jumping straight to them. They glanced at Roxas and a blond with a guitar- probably Demyx- shivered at his cold gaze.

Xemnas hadn't reacted at all to the pair's appearance. "Such a pleasure to see you, VIII. And you too, XIII." He grinned and dropped his voice to an almost seductive quality. "It will save me the hassle of tracking you down."

A blond girl twirling knives stepped up in front of Demyx, who jumped to his feet. That must have been Larxene. Roxas turned his gaze to her, and she laughed a bit.

Axel just let it go around them. His eyes were trained on Xemnas. "I certainly hope you came here to apologize for what you did."

The man laughed outright. "In your dreams, VIII. You know exactly why we're here."

Axel nodded and smiled cattily. "If that's the case, then I need to bring in a friend of mine." He looked up to where Hayner was standing in full view. "Yo, get down here and meet the guys you're gonna demolish."

Hayner swung into the room, standing in the perfect light to show off scars and muscle and look intimidating. He plastered a cocky smile on his face, sauntering up to a blue haired man standing just beside Xemnas. He had an impressive scar on his face, and he chose that one out specifically. That guy had a spark of lust in his eyes when Hayner dropped down.

"The name's Hayner," he said huskily. He held his hand out to shake. The man reached to shake it and Hayner pulled it to his lips, kissing the knuckles. Looking up, he whispered, "It would have been my _pleasure_, or perhaps yours, if things had been different."

Xemnas snapped at the man. "VII! Stop your foolish drooling!" Saïx gulped and backed away a step. Hayner grinned and turned to a lumbering hulk of a man. He could only guess that he was Lexaeus. He let his smile fall away and gestured with one finger for the man to come at him. He looked to Xenmas who nodded. The ginger hulk swung a meaty fist that was dodged swiftly by Hayner. Axel grinned triumphantly.

"Looks like it's three against twelve. We need to change those odds. Turks!"

Seifer leapt from the alcove and landed directly on top of the guy who was molesting the black haired girl. He was thrown off but landed on his feet not too far away. Tseng, Elena, and Rude leapt into the fray, and Elena, to be fair, went straight after Larxene. She was stuck with both siblings, but she was fighting well enough to hold them off until they sent the SOLDIERs in. Tseng sent a roundhouse at a blond who had been doing card tricks. The man caught his foot expertly, grinning as he threw the dark haired man into the wall by his leg. Rude took on a guy with a scar and eye patch. Roxas stood in the center of the room, waiting for them to come to him. Axel leapt at a pink haired guy with a white sweatshirt with a rose on it. Hayner ignored the rest, focusing on Lexaeus. He tripped him as he charged, falling down on his hands. He launched back up and rammed his shoulder into Hayner's chest on the way. The skater was winded, but he sent a punch to the guys face. He felt a crunch and leapt back, grinning at the broken nose he left behind.

He felt himself tugged backwards and was pressed to the ground. He couldn't see who it was, since he was face down, but he could tell it was male and very strong. He heard a gun cock and the fighting halted. He froze, feeling cold metal pressing into his back. That person reached down to Hayner's boot and took out the gun hidden there. He relaxed his body, letting the man pull him to his feet. He suddenly lashed out and sent his elbow crashing into the man's- Saïx's- chin. He leapt forward, but he was caught again. This time it was Xemnas with a large knife digging into his throat. He felt pathetic for being captured, and held back a whimper as blood ran down his chest.

"Leave XIII and VIII. The rest of you go back home. As long as we have these two taken care of, we're content." Axel snarled. "I give you my word." He chuckled and Hayner could feel his heartbeat against his back. "I'll just need this one, since he caught the eyes of many of us. If you give yourselves up, we'll give him back when we leave Twilight Town."

He steeled his expression, looking defiant as he looked up to Roxas. "Just leave me. I'll kill them as soon as they let their guard down." Roxas leveled his cold stare at him. They stared at each other for a while before Roxas shook his head imperceptibly. Hayner growled, "Get the others out of here!"

Axel and Reno reluctantly grabbed Roxas and Seifer, dragging them away. Axel called out for the others to retreat. Everyone scrambled up to their alcoves and disappeared. Xemnas tossed him into Saïx's arms. "Do what you will. His friends abandoned him to death and worse, and thus he will be of no use to us."

Saïx and another bluish-grey haired man tied his hands together. The one with the dragon shirt pulled off his boots and ripped off his pants and boxers. He struggled and kicked out, but they snatched his ankles and tied them together as well. He was nude and helpless in front of these people, and was carried off down nearby stairs into a room. It was basically the beginning of the sewers. He was thrown down on the ground. Hayner spotted another hallway and knew that it could be his only chance of escape if he got that chance. Until then, he was at the mercy of the horny Organization XIII members.

If he just was raped, he'd be fine. But he was going to suffer emotional trauma as well. He'd remember his father; he'd have to hold in his emotions again. He refused to let his attackers make him cry.

Saix advanced on him, arranging him and thrusting in without a second thought. Hayner gritted his teeth and stared at the water and his escape route.

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Pleeeaaaaase review to let me know how this was. It's been waaaay too long since I heard from you guys. *puppydog eyes*


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any of this crap. Trust me and get on with it...

**Warning:** Seifer's bad mouth reins supreme! Mild mentions of rape. Very tiny mention of homosexuality. I already warned you about that though.

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They left him a few hours later. His legs had been untied earlier to make it easier for them. They must not have thought he would be able to even stand when they were done with him. Contrary to what they seemed to think, he struggled to his feet and ran over to the hallway he had watched intently not even minutes before. He followed it with wide, hopeful eyes. Those hopes were dashed when he turned a corner and saw the exit barred. It led to a blueish corridor and he strained to hear anyone. It was utterly silent and he sank to the ground in a heap. He didn't move for hours, just stared at the bars. Saix came round the corner with a scowl and dragged him by the hair back into the room. He was beaten severely, and the man left him broken and bleeding on the floor.

He heard footsteps come down the hall, and the dark haired girl stepped into the room. She knelt beside him and raised her eyes to the ceiling, lips moving frantically. At the same time, she helped put his pants back on. Hayner's lips twisted into a wry grin despite himself.

"God hath no tolerance for sinners. Isn't that what some Bible translations say?"

She gasped and looked at him. "God shalt save all in his power to save. One must only gather his attention with prayer." She laid a hand on his forehead, and he noticed the rosary wrapped around it.

He shook his head. "He doesn't need to save me. He has many more important things to worry about. Thank you for your prayers, but I don't feel right taking them." He smiled. "I'm, oddly enough, an atheist by lack of belief."

She frowned. "I couldn't stand not having faith. Life seems empty without it." She shook herself. "That is irrelevant. Here you are a bloody pulp and here we are discussing religion."

Hayner chuckled weakly. "Well, I have something even more important to ask you. Why are you with them?"

Her bright blue eyes dimmed greatly. "Xaldin, III, wanted me, so Superior threatened my family to make me come with them. I'm a triplet, and my sisters believe me to be dead."

He perked up. "Actually, the thing is, they're here in Twilight Town. They were brought in, along with SOLDIER and some guys from Destiny Islands, to help us get rid of XIII." He smiled. "Kairi was hard to hold back when she saw you down there. Even Riku had a hard time."

She gasped. "They're here? I can call them, I can help them!"

Hayner nodded appreciatively. "You might be able to fit between those bars at the end of that hall. I couldn't, but you're small." She nodded. "Wait just out of sight, and when they notice you missing, I'll run out and lead whoever is left away. Just escape, and get to a public place. Find Seifer. You remember him? Try looking down an alley leading from the Clock Tower. Find a grate door and through there is a little hideout that they should be using as a war council room."

She frowned deeper. "But then how will we get you out?"

Hayner shrugged. "Seifer and Axel can figure something out."

She nodded and dashed down the tunnel. He could hear her grunt as she squeezed through the bars, and sigh as she got through. He slumped further, eyes sad. He knew that they would probably kill him for trying to run. They wouldn't be able to get back to him, either. He was resigned with his fate.

Soon enough, Xaldin entered the room and looked around. "You! Where is the girl who came down here?"

He glanced up at the man. "What girl? The blond? If she came down here do you think I'd be in one piece? Or in very few pieces, as the case may be?" The man ignored him and ran down the hall. He came back, looking irate.

"She gave us the fucking slip!"

Hayner heard him shouting to Xemnas and organizing search parties. It seemed to Hayner that the only one left in the tunnel was Xemnas, so he got to his feet and snuck up to the room. He saw the man contentedly leaning on the wall, twirling a hunting knife. Hayner bolted, hopping up into the lowest entrance. He knew it wouldn't lead out very quickly, but he was willing to risk that. He saw the girl, as soon as Xemnas turned his attention to him, sneak out and up into one of the highest alcoves. He still ran and heard footsteps behind him. He knew it was only a matter of time until he was caught. He didn't have shoes, but that just made him faster. He saw an exit of the tunnel far ahead, and bolted for it, listening for others nearby. He refused to glance behind him, but instinctively swerved and dodged the knife thrown at him.

He dove through the exit, emerging into the blistering sunlight. He spotted the girl ducking through a crowd in the square. He ran to the crowd. They stared at him in shock, recognizing him as the gay boy from the trial. They noticed his state, tied up and bloody, and looked to where he was running from. A man with golden eyes was running after him, scowling as he pulled a knife from his pocket. A police officer barred his way with a gun trained on him.

That was all Hayner saw as he bolted away, chasing after the dark haired girl. He caught up to her and she gasped, surprised that he had made it. She turned him around and untied him quickly. He led her through the busy streets to his home. He explained to her that although they would expect him to go there, it was safest. He knocked on the door and it opened slowly to Seifer with a tired look on his face. It vanished however and the taller teenager enveloped Hayner in a tight hug. The skater winced but let the hug run its course. As soon as he was released, he pushed his way into the house, dragging the girl by the wrist.

Riku was comically holding Sora back from Leon, who held a wireless controller and seemed to be taunting him. They froze, seeing the pair of former captives. Sora was the first to fully react.

"Xion! Kairi told me you had died in a shooting in Hollow Bastion! Why were you with the Orgy?"

Leon sighed. "Stop calling them that."

No one noticed the older brunette. They were hugging happily. Xion was explaining to him what happened. Riku stood nearby smiling softly. Leon also softened his normal expression and allowed his lips to twitch upwards for a moment.

Seifer wrapped up Hayner again, and the younger male had the perfect angle to feel the thug's heartbeat that was racing and skipping. He simply relaxed into the hug and let it happen. He really was glad to be home.

Sephiroth came down to see what the commotion was, and Zack came from the entertainment room and grinned at seeing Hayner back. Angeal seemed not to be around. Hayner extricated himself from the older blond, smiling at him sadly.

"I just want to take a shower right now, you know?"

Seifer looked on helplessly as his friend grabbed a towel from the closet and went upstairs to the bathroom. No one spoke until the shower started up. Then Sora whimpered and turned his face into Riku's chest. Xion held a rosary to her heart. Leon looked meaningfully at Sephiroth, who gave him a solemn nod. Zack sobered and folded his arms. Angeal came out from the entertainment room and wrapped his arms around Zack. Riku sighed and patted Sora's head.

Seifer's face twisted in some mix of grief and anger.

Zack was the first to speak up. "He shouldn't be handling this as well as he is." He got a faraway look. "No one handles it that well."

Seifer huffed. "He's had worse, psychologically. Did any of you hear about that trial a while back?" Leon and Sephiroth nodded with understanding, unnerved that such a thing could happen. Sora looked at him questioningly.

"That was terrible. Did he know the kid?" Seifer shook his head and Riku put a hand on Sora's shoulder. The brunette turned his face back into Riku's chest with his shoulders shaking.

Zack sighed deeply. "That kid is a lot stronger than I thought."

Everyone nodded solemnly.

When Hayner went downstairs to change, everyone was either upstairs or in the kitchen fighting over the stove. He went into the entertainment room and threw on black sweats and a white wife beater. He went out to the kitchen and shooed everyone away from the stove. "What do you guys want to eat?"

There were various choruses of "pizza" and "Chinese" and "tacos" and Zack yelled something about Nibel stew.

Hayner eyed the hyper fighter. "No to the Nibel stew. I don't necessarily think the rest of the guys would like wolf meat." Zack pouted. "But tacos sound good to me, and I have the supplies to make them. Get out of my kitchen and go play games," he teased. They filed out, stomachs happily grumbling.

Hayner set to work, blissfully unaware of the knock on the front door. Seifer went to answer it, making sure everything in the house looked normal; no bloodstains and such. Sephiroth and Angeal went upstairs, leaving only the happy people and the Destiny Islands people. Seifer opened the door and took in the sight of three police officers. They asked for Hayner.

"Hay!" he shouted into the kitchen. "Some people to see you."

Hayner yelled that he would be there in a minute and to let them in. Seifer led them to the living room and shut the door to the entertainment room, muffling the noise. "Sorry, Officers, we have a few people from out of town visiting, and Hayner offered to let them stay here." He gave a wry grin. "Bad idea."

Hayner came in his apron, eyeing the officers warily. "Don't tell me it's something about my dad."

They shook their heads. "No, it's actually about a man we took in today, and sighted you running from him." Seifer sat Hayner down across the men, standing behind him with his hands on the younger male's shoulders. "It was Xemnas, the leader of a gang in Hollow Bastion. We have plenty of witnesses that say you were running from him with your hands tied behind your back." Seifer sighed. He considered phoning Tseng and getting his help, but it was no use. He had to give it up.

"Sirs? You know that I'm the leader of the Twilight Disciplinary Committee?" he asked tiredly. They nodded. "Well, that's only a faction of a bigger group. I head the group that publicly protects the peace. This larger group takes care of the shadowy portion. We model ourselves off of Hollow Bastion's SOLDIER." They glanced at each other. "But the main difference is that we have no huge enemy after us."

Sephiroth was at the corner of the hall, spying on the reactions of the police. They simply nodded, but warily. "I see. I guess we understand now why our jobs are so easy."

Seifer chuckled. "Right. So things were pretty down to earth for a while, but two of our new members came in out of Hollow Bastion about a year ago. We found out not too long ago that they used to be members of Organization XIII, but they defected after they were betrayed. The whole group was in the tunnels below town, trying to get their revenge for the two leaving. So we went down to try to take them out, but we didn't do so well, and Hayner was captured. Hay assured us that he would escape, so we left him. He came back just an hour or two ago."

The police officers nodded. "I'm guessing you'll take care of this and keep them from the public? I don't think we'd know how to handle this."

He nodded and Hayner smiled at them. "I was just making lunch, but would you three like something to drink before you go?"

They shook their heads and excused themselves. Hayner went back to cooking, and Seifer stood in the kitchen watching over him.

"Do you ever break down?"

Hayner shook his head. He was ready to serve the hungry masses and told Seifer to call them in. Sora came running in, dragging Riku and Xion. She couldn't wait to see her sisters who hadn't been told that she was there. Angeal and Sephiroth entered with yawns, and Angeal deflected Zack when he leapt at his back. Leon inched in and glared at Sephiroth.

Seifer formed them into some semblance of a line, and Hayner served them one at a time. It didn't take long before they were back in line, and Hayner ate as he served. Seifer helped him out and by the time everyone was finished, the amount of food that could feed an army had vanished into their black hole stomachs. Seifer only had two, and Hayner had four. He had been hungry after what happened.

Seifer sighed in frustration before taking out his cell phone and yelling for everyone to gather in the living room. They trickled in and as soon as they all arrived, Seifer looked at Xion. "I'm getting a friend of mine to pick you up and take you to your sisters." He looked at Hayner. "You feeling up to dealing with Tseng? He'll want to grill you as soon as he finds out you're here." He nodded and Seifer looked over everyone. "Anything else while I'm at it?" Everyone shook their heads and he shooed them away, making the necessary calls.

Hayner lied down on the couch, feeling very tired. Turns out he wasn't up to dealing with Tseng, because he slept through the whole night without waking even as Seifer carried him to the mattress. He did wake up, however, when a happy puppy of a man tackled him on the mattress, flinging Seifer off.

"Hey, you wanna go running?"

Hayner blinked groggily, taking a second before he grinned at the older male. "Sure, let me take a few minutes to wake up."

In about ten minutes, they were out jogging around the city. They went about two miles before Zack spoke. "Seifer cried after we left you with them."

Hayner faltered a bit before getting back into his pace. "He did?"

Zack nodded. "He sobbed as soon as we got to the house. We didn't know what to do about it. He just broke down right in the doorway. Ended up we called Raijin to come help us, and he carried him into the bathroom and threw him into a hot shower. I haven't seen something like that in a while."

He smiled wanly. "He's a bit overwhelmed, I think. He just found out about my dad, and then of course I fall right into the clutches of men that hurt me in the same way."

Zack just eyed him. "I think he loves you."

They didn't speak for another five miles when they reached the house again. They had worked up a sweat and they were breathing heavily. The slopes really did a number on them. Hayner straightened out and he looked at Zack sadly.

"I wish I could believe you, but Seifer isn't like that. Thanks for the thought, anyway."

Zack followed him into the house with a frown. He spotted Seifer wandering around the kitchen and went to talk to him.

"Are you straight or are you gay?"

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And this is dedicated to all of my subscribers, you lucky dogs. Thank you very much for showing your appreciation for the story. I would love it even more if you told me what you think. Or gave suggestions. I like hearing from you guys and love to make my readers happy!


	6. Chapter 6

This is a short chapter, but I wanted it to end just like this ends, so bear with me. I'll get a new one up soon.

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Seifer spit out the orange juice he had been drinking. Most of it was all over Zack. The man didn't seem to care, or thought it was funny so he ignored it. "So? Answer the question?"

Seifer was coughing and holding a hand up to wait a moment. As soon as he could get a decent breath, he glared. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Zack stalked closer with a dangerous growl. "My guess would be yes, and that you love Hayner. I told him that and he said that you weren't like that. Are you?"

Seifer looked away. He glanced around and gestured for them to go outside. They went out back to the tiny back yard with a tiny destroyed swing set. "I'm not as brave as Hayner is. This is Twilight Town, and being gay is the worst thing you could be. He's the only one in town that's open about it."

Zack frowned and crossed his arms. "So is that it? You're a coward?"

Seifer nodded his head. "I have excuses, like being so much a public figure and being such a welcomed part of society. If I told everyone, they would treat us like common street thugs, not like the people that saved them from the thugs." He hunched his shoulders. "He's chased down and attacked on a daily basis, and we protect him when we see it happening. In that way we show our support for him as who he is." He took a few deep breaths. "I'm not brave enough to tell the world that I'm gay."

Zack nodded and looked back at the back door, seeing Leon there raising a curious eyebrow. "You don't have to tell the world. Start with Hayner."

Seifer sat contemplatively on the grass as the rest of the household got breakfast from a somewhat cheerful Hayner. Seifer watched him from the back yard, and thought on how to tell the boy.

He looked over to Zack who looked at him meaningfully. Somehow he got everyone to vacate the kitchen while Hayner just started eating. Seifer went in nervously. He served himself some pancakes and coffee, sitting across from his friend. He watched his features as he thought over the past few days and his breakdown. He thought of his sudden attraction to him and of his feelings he was uncovering. It was empowering and powerful. He took a deep breath and reached his hand across the table and taking Hayner's. The younger blond looked up at him and placed his fork down. "Is everything okay?"

He shook his head. "You're strong, you know that? You shouldn't have to be this strong." He looked him in the eyes. The coffee brown eyes were wide. "As much as I wish you could live a normal life with a normal, happy family, a normal, pretty girlfriend, and a happy, safe future, I wouldn't want you any other way. I wouldn't love a Hayner like that." He looked away. "I wouldn't love him like I love you."

He braced himself for Hayner to pull away and run out of the room, but it didn't happen. Instead, He stood slowly and he came around the table to get closer to the older blond. He knelt down and placed his forehead on Seifer's leg. "You saved me. I never thought anyone would do that. Not even my friends." His hands balled up into fists. "You didn't just let me run by and ignore me. You helped me. You didn't let me sit there in the courtroom all alone. You didn't let me go on with life alone. You didn't let me clear out this place by myself. You let me go in the tunnels, when I needed as little fuss as possible. I thought about you the whole time I was there. I thought about what you would do to them if I died down there." He looked up into the older blonds eyes. They were wavering from the bit of moisture clouding them. "When I was getting Xion out, I knew in my heart that I wasn't going to make it out. But when I was leading Xemnas away from her, all I wanted was to get back to you. I wanted to see you one more time and thank you for everything you did for me." He stood and pressed his lips gently against Seifer's. "I love you too."

Seifer's eyes were wide and he didn't react for some time. When he finally moved, he lunged at Hayner and wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling him into the chair in his lap. He simply held him there, eyes watering and face buried in the shorter male's hair. They stayed like that for a while, but eventually they separated and stood to clear the table. Deep inside, they knew that there was nothing to do with the confessions yet. They still had to run out the Organization. Their newfound love could wait until they were finished.

They sat on the couch in the living room and leant into each other until there was a knock on the door. Seifer got up regretfully and walked over to open it. No one was there, so he shut it cautiously. He took the gun from the side table that he kept there in case there was someone dangerous at the door. Waving Hayner over, he waited anxiously. Hayner eyed the gun with a frown. He went to the door and opened it, looking up and down the street. He saw something tiny hanging from the tree in the front yard and motioned Seifer to get the others. He came back with Sephiroth and Zack.

Sephiroth stood with a gun in the doorway, ready for anyone to try to sneak in. Zack and Seifer provided cover for Hayner as he went out to the tree. When he got close enough to make out what it was, Zack rushed forward and snatched it from the branch. He stared at it in his hand for a while, the bloody pink ribbon tied to a necklace with a pure white pearl charm. Seifer was looking everywhere for anyone on the long street, but no one was there. Hayner was eyeing the roof and the sides of the house fearfully. Sephiroth blocked the doorway still but was watching Zack intently. Zack muttered something once, twice, three times, each time the mumbling turning tearier. The dark haired man fell to his knees and threw his head back.

"AERITH!"

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R&R, readers, it's all to better the story.


	7. Chapter 7

**I HAVE A HUGE WARNING!**

**This is gross and gory and I kinda felt sick after writing it. If I read it, I would REALLY feel sick. So, please. If you have a weak stomach. Pay attention to the warnings I have. I'll let you know where the gory descriptions start.**

**I apologize for this chapter. It is very important to the future of the story. It did make me sad though.**

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They had to help Zack back into the house because his legs had failed him. Sephiroth gathered him in his arms and took him upstairs. Angeal stayed downstairs to explain to them what was going on.

"Zack's girlfriend," he began heavily, "was still in Hollow Bastion. She always wore that ribbon and he had given her that necklace. Either they have her as a captive, or they killed her. My bet is they killed her." He shuddered. "She was pregnant."

Hayner's phone rang. He went in to the kitchen to answer it. The caller ID said Tseng. "Hello?"

"_They have Rude and Elena."_

He almost dropped the phone. "What? How?"

"_They left this morning to come talk to us, and just now Rufus found their wedding rings tied together with her hair and covered in blood."_

Hayner let out a loud breath. "Let me go talk to the others. We just found Aerith's ribbon and necklace covered in blood. Zack's girlfriend." Tseng swore and hung up.

The short blond skater walked into the living room and tapped Sephiroth on the arm. "They have Rude and Elena. Rufus found their wedding rings tied in Elena's hair and bloody."

Everyone sat down exactly where they were. Panic was setting in. Seifer suddenly leapt up. "Fuu!"

Hayner also thought of the girls. And then he remembered his friends. He pulled out his phone again and dialed like crazy. Olette thankfully picked up, even though it was Pence's phone. "Olette, where's Pence?"

"_Right here, I'll give him the phone."_ There was a pause before his chubby friend answered.

"I need you two to stay together and stay inside. Don't ask me why, just do it."

"_I guess so, but is everything alright?"_

"No. Stay inside. Lay low for a while." He hung up and turned to Seifer who was pale. "What is it?"

Seifer sank to his knees. "They have Tifa and Rikku."

Leon and Riku came into the room and looked around. Riku chose not to comment on their seats on the ground. "Have any of you seen Sora?"

Everyone grew that tiny bit paler, and Hayner ran upstairs, looking out of the window. There hung a key shaped necklace dripping in fresh blood. Leon froze and Riku gripped the doorframe until it cracked. Sephiroth came into the doorway while listening to his phone. His eyes were wide. He was nodding slowly. He dropped the phone and the screen cracked. "Genesis is gone."

Hayner's phone rang yet again and he answered it warily. It was Roxas.

"_How are things holding up over there?"_

He sighed, relieved that no one else had been taken. "The Organization now has Elena, Rude, Tifa, Rikku, Sora, Genesis, and Zack's girlfriend Aerith."

"_What the hell?"_

"They left something of theirs covered in blood." Roxas said that he and Cloud would be over in a few minutes and they would get Rufus and Tseng and the people from Axel's apartment. Hayner went downstairs and put a hand on Seifer's shoulder. "Call Fuu and Rai. Get everyone over here." He nodded.

About an hour later, everyone was huddled in Hayner's small living room. On the loveseat, Sephiroth was close to a breakdown and wouldn't go near Cloud. In a chair, Riku was in the middle of a breakdown, and Leon had a hand on his shoulder as he shook as well. The triplets huddled at Riku's feet. Rufus and Tseng stood grieving near the door for their comrades. Kunsel was trying to get Zack to let go of the ribbon and stop crying. Cloud was standing with Reno, and they were worrying over Tifa and grieving for Aerith. Leon quietly grieved for Rikku. They had found her dreads that were obviously torn from her head. They didn't seem optimistic about her survival.

Axel and Roxas were in a heated argument that only made the broken ones cry harder.

"You will not go give yourself up, I don't care who they have!"

"Look at these people! Some have lost the people they love most! Some are already dead! I'm not letting them lose any more!"

Hayner stood in the middle of the room right next to Seifer, and they held each other's hands tightly. Hayner imagined losing Seifer and shook the thought away. He spoke to the room, but his voice was tiny.

"We need to go save them."

Everyone looked up and nodded fiercely. Sephiroth picked up his gun and stood resolutely. "I guess they're still there. Let's go."

They all nodded again and Hayner led Seifer to the door. They were already ready and had their weapons. They weren't going to dance around this time. The Organization went too far.

They walked resolutely to the entrance to the tunnels, not disguising their presence or being bothered by officials. They filed in to the tunnel with a grim silence that was loud enough to bring XIII running. Roxas and Axel were at the front, holding hands. When Lexaeus came barreling around the corner, Roxas simply raised an arm and shot him. He was killed instantly, a portion of his head gone entirely. Hayner and Seifer held hands directly behind them. The rest trailed behind with grim expressions. Sephiroth had his gun ready to kill anyone who touched his Genesis. Riku had a murderous air about him. Everyone else was quietly seething.

They arrived in the area and saw that the last ten of the Organization were waiting. Very few had guns. As it was, Roxas and Axel stepped aside, Hayner and Seifer stepped to the other side, allowing Sephiroth and Zack to open fire. The ones with guns hadn't had the chance to even think of shooting before they were fatally injured or dead. Saïx was backing to the other hall, but Roxas took out his knees. He let him bleed there and scream. Demyx stood bravely in front of his sister and Axel made sure they left him unharmed. By the time Riku even got into the room to search for Sora, Demyx and Larxene were the only ones left standing. Axel walked over and looked his former friend directly in the eye.

"IX, please. Leave. You know I can't hurt you."

Larxene bared her teeth and let the light glint off her knife. "I'll kill you then."

"Demyx. You know I love you. You're my brother. Leave with Larx, get out and leave Hollow Bastion behind. Run while you can. You don't deserve this."

Demyx thanked him and took his sister's hand, leading her out through the lowest alcove. He turned back briefly. "I tried to save the couple and the girls. I'm sorry. The redhead needs help, and the brunet is probably not going to make it. I did what I could, but I'm not good enough to save them. The girl in pink, she left a note for Zack. I hid it from the others. It's just above the pipe." He turned and left, running with his sister eyeing them with a smirk. Roxas finally finished off Saïx.

Sephiroth and Riku went running down the hall. Zack walked numbly after them, eyes flat. Rufus turned into Tseng's chest, shoulders shaking slightly. Cloud leant on Leon's shoulder, eyes sad. The triplets held hands and wailed Tifa and Rikku's names. Fuujin and Raijin held hands in the back of the group. Everyone grieved, until of course they heard the shouts for help from Sephiroth.

**(WARNING- Careful reading, some may have a hard time reading this. Not sure, but just in case.)**

Hayner went running into the room and froze at the bloodbath. He saw lumps of flesh and blood wearing black suits, and knew the bodies were once Elena and Rude, the happy newlyweds. Rikku was more recognizable, her throat slit and hair torn out. She looked beaten as well. A girl he recognized vaguely as Tifa was naked and dumped in the corner, hearts carved over her stomach and breasts and her skull was partially missing. A brunette girl was slumped off to the side. Zack was holding her body tightly, but he could tell she was also naked, and her stomach was cut open. A small fetus was lying on the ground attached by the umbilical cord. He could tell she had been beautiful.

**(End of warning area.)**

Genesis was curled up in the corner opposite from Tifa's body, sobbing and fighting off something only he could see. Sephiroth couldn't get close, but he knelt a few feet away trying to call to him. Riku was kneeling beside the limp form of Sora, who had a large wound in his abdomen. Riku was trying to staunch the blood flow. Hayner quickly whipped out his phone and dialed the local police force. They were much better than 911, because they already vaguely knew about the situation.

"This is Hayner Marche. I need doctors and stretchers and a lot of help." He nodded. "Yes, we took care of them. Only two escaped. The rest are dead. I'll explain when you get here, but the people you send need to have strong stomachs. It's really bad down here." He paused. "Lots of dead, lots of blood. It's bad. I'll meet you and the Number 2 entrance to the tunnels."

Hayner grabbed Cloud and got him to go help with Sora. Kunsel went to try to help Zack. They left Genesis alone for the most part. Hayner and Seifer went to the Number 2 entrance and brought the triplets with them. Their plan was to leave them with the police car. Two ambulances came careening into view, followed closely by three police cars. Two doctors hopped out. "What's the situation? The others are getting ready, bring us in."

Hayner left Seifer to keep the girls from breaking down further. He started jogging back in, the doctors close behind. "We have one fatal injury, some kind of hole in his chest. We're losing him. Teenager. We have one in need of psychological help, definitely needs strong restraints. Not sure why he's like this. We can't tell if he's injured. Might be drugged." He stopped right in front of the hall. "What's down here, it's inhuman. The men in the first room are all Organization XIII, and they're all dead. We made sure of that. The others were their captives, and the main reason we killed them. One is particularly bad, and if you want, I can go over and block your view."

They shook their heads and headed in. One ran to Sora and the other went to Sephiroth to check on Genesis. They called for two stretchers and everything they would need. They strapped Genesis in and laid Sora down, taking them away from the carnage. Everyone left the tunnels, hoping for some peace for the dead. Not even Zack stayed. One person, however, couldn't bring himself to leave. He sat on the ground in the middle of the bodies, guarding them patiently until they could be brought to the morgue. Seifer brought the men down the next day to clean the corpses from the tunnels, and they weren't as disturbed by the dead as they were of the blank teenager that kept vigil over them the whole night.

Hayner prayed to a god he didn't believe in that the people who died went to a heaven he was told he was barred from.

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**As I said, I am very sorry.**


	8. Chapter 8

I apologize for how short this is, but it's just a transition. Hayner's life as a gang rat is beginning! I'm excited for the new arc of the story, and hope you are too, fans. Hollow, here we come!

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Hayner stood before the hospital door with his heart pounding. His father was on the other side. He had a stroke and was in a coma. They needed his permission to pull the plug, and he had to be there to sign the paperwork.

It had been about a year since the incident with Organization XIII. Sora was still recovering in a hospital in Destiny Islands, with Leon and the rest of his friends. Riku never left his side, even after visiting hours. They let him stay there after a while, accepting that making him leave was impossible. Cloud stayed in Twilight Town. Sephiroth helped Genesis in the Hollow Bastion Asylum. He was always a comforting to the redhead. Zack moved into Angeal's apartment, not being able to stand living alone with Aerith's ghost. The triplets were inseparable and visited Sora every week. Rufus and Tseng held a memorial for everyone who died that day, even the XIII members. Fuu and Rai were engaged, as were Olette and Pence. Axel finally asked Roxas out, and it was a tumultuous relationship. Reno was pining after Cloud, but the blonde had no clue.

Seifer had moved to Hollow Bastion to join SOLDIER. They hadn't spoken of their confessions or the kiss, but they parted with soft smiles. Hayner knew that as soon as he finished business in school and with his father, he would go and join as well. Roxas, Axel, Cloud, and Axel would be going with him. They would stick together this time.

He opened the door and saw his father laid out on a bed. He was attached to a dozen machines keeping him alive. A lawyer and a doctor were waiting with a clipboard each. Hayner didn't listen much; he just signed everything and watched as they unplugged the machines. His father died right before his eyes and he didn't feel anything about it. His bags were already in Reno's van and they were all waiting for him to finish up and then they'd leave right there for the city.

He went outside and the sun on his face warmed his heart. He was on his way to Seifer.

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The time skip is probably killing you, but everything happens for a reason. You'll find out what happened in the past year sooner or later. Probably sooner... :)

Review to make me write faster and make the chance of a long chapter go up a tiny bit!


	9. Chapter 9

And to those who haven't given up on my slow writing, the beginning of Hayner's life in Hollow Bastion. How will he fare? Will Seifer be there to welcome him in open arms? Will the leader want them in SOLDIER? Will he be good enough to survive the difficulties ahead? Find out!

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Hayner didn't necessarily think much of the drive to the city. It was three days long, so they cycled drivers between them. Cloud's motorcycle was strapped to a trailer hitched to the back of the van. They did, however, stop at every single rest stop to take a picture. It was mainly for Roxas, who occasionally had problems with his memory. Hayner had once asked Axel about it, but he didn't know. He guessed it was an effect of his personality changes between number XIII and Roxas.

Cloud was driving, Reno in the passenger seat. Reno was humming softly to the music on the radio, which the blonde was chuckling at. Hayner glanced over at Roxas, who was cuddled into Axel's side, and realized that he wasn't sure if his other half was still his. He wondered if Seifer had found someone new, where he was living, how he was doing in SOLDIER.

No one had heard from him since he left, not even Fuujin. Hayner had a horrible notion that something was wrong, and it was shared by everyone who knew him. None of his friends in SOLDIER were allowed to talk about anything in the business. Somehow, he wasn't worried. He had an idea that he could handle anything that came up to help Seifer, wherever he is. The second night they got two motel rooms, but Hayner opted to sleep in the car, giving Roxas alone time with Axel, and so that Reno could have some words with Cloud. When the sun rose and they emerged from their rooms, Cloud and Reno were holding hands and Roxas had a subtle limp. Hayner pretended not to notice.

The next night was much the same. While he slept in the front seat, he woke to a metallic clang. Grabbing the gun under the seat he opened the door and crept around the van, seeing two guys trying to unhook the motorcycle. He snuck up behind the nearest one and pressed the barrel to his scalp.

"I suggest you leave the bike and run, unless you want this guy's blood all over the both of us."

This backfired, however, since the guy he pointed the gun at had a blade attached to the side of his shoe. Hayner felt the knife sink into his calf, and the leg buckled and sent him crashing to the ground. He was then stabbed in the side twice before an alarm came from the bike. Doors slammed and the guys ran. He was losing consciousness as Cloud kneeled over him trying to stop the bleeding. He saw Roxas in the background with the gun, being held back by Axel. Reno had one of the guys on the ground.

He reached into his pocket and dialed Zack, holding it weakly to his ear.

"_Hello?_"

"Z-Zack…?"

He heard some rustling and stumbling around. "_Hayner? Buddy? What happened?_"

"We're at… the motel just outside… the city. I was… stabbed… h-hurry."

He blacked out with Zack shouting at him to stay awake.

He woke up in a plain room. It took him a few seconds to regain his senses, and when he did, felt the pain all over his body. Soon enough, the door opened and a girl came in. She was short, with short black hair and slanted eyes. She put a hand on his forehead. "Good to see you're awake. I'm Yuffie, Zack's friend." He sat up slowly, the skin and muscle of his injured side pulling strangely.

"Where am I?"

She smiled. "You're in my apartment. Zack and Angeal are just next door to the right, and most of the rest of SOLDIER live around the building. Do you want me to get Zack?"

He nodded. "Thanks. Where's Roxas and the others?"

She started to the door. "They're talking to the boss right now. Evaluation and all to see if they really can handle it here. Cloud is there to explain where he's been for so long." She left, and came back a few minute later with Zack and Angeal.

"Hey, buddy, how's the healing going?"

He chuckled. "No worse than it ever is. I heal fast and easy, so I'm fine."

Angeal frowned. "Soon we'll take you up to the boss. I've told her a lot about you. She's impressed, so you should get in easy." He frowned. "Besides, she has something she needs to talk to you about."

Hayner nodded. After a while of updates on the city and their friends, they helped him up and told him to follow them. He was led into the elevator, and he saw that there were eight floors. Surprisingly, Angeal slid a key into the control board, and they started moving. They passed the eighth floor, and ended up on the eleventh. The doors slid open to an office area. They passed two desks, one with a brunet, and one that was empty. The man was shuffling paperwork around hurriedly, looking for something. He suddenly smiled and said "Ah ha!" before standing and jogging down a hall. They followed him and saw him going into an office. They filed in and Angeal bowed to the woman behind the desk. Hayner almost followed suit, but Zack stopped him.

The woman looked up from the papers she was brought. The stern brunet stood beside her. On her other side stood a boy that looked just like Roxas.

Hayner froze and stared at him. He just stared back, face impassive. The woman, who was about Axel's age and had light blue hair, cleared her throat. "Good afternoon, Hayner Marche. I am Aqua, the leader of SOLDIER. This is Terra, and this is Ventus." She gestured to the two men. Ventus was the Roxas look-alike. She noticed his stare. "So you noticed? Ventus is Roxas's twin brother." His jaw dropped. "Yup, it's true. They were separated at birth. We didn't know this until Roxas came in just a little bit ago." The blond glanced away.

Hayner nodded to her. "It's a pleasure to meet you." She raised an eyebrow appreciatively. Aqua seemed nice enough. "It's also a pleasure to be here."

She sat back and put her feet up on the desk. "Is it really? Good. I'm sorry for your injuries. We haven't gotten the crime under control outside of the city yet." He shrugged, waving it off. "Leave us, boys." Everyone left except for Hayner, and she offered him a seat. He took it and took a deep breath.

"I heard you have something to talk to me about."

She nodded, standing and walking over to the window in the small office. A bookcase stood nearby, overfilled with thick books of all kinds. That was about it of the office. Nothing else was there. She sighed, catching his attention. "Seifer Almasy was our newest addition. He is one of the best public relations operatives we have ever had. He also was a damn good fighter, considering how new he is. However," she said before hesitating, "he is currently MIA. The last mission he had was with Terra, scoping another city for chances to expand into it. They were met with opposition, and were separated. Terra couldn't find hide or hair of him, and was forced to leave the city. We have no idea where he is." She turned to him. "I'm sorry. Zack told me about your relationship."

He took a deep breath. "Okay. So Seifer is missing. So what? I can find him." She frowned. "I may be pretty new to all of this, but send me out with a search party, and we can bring him back."

She nodded slowly. "I hate to put this on you, but that's exactly what I was going to ask of you." She went over and opened the door. She called Ventus in. "Ven is gonna go with you. Find out if we should send anyone else, will you? You should be fine, even if you don't bring him back, but bring more just in case. I'll add scoping to your assignment. We still need info on the area."

He nodded, and she handed him a file. Inside were every detail they had about the area, from maps to population reports and newspaper articles. Ventus led him out of the room, out to the elevator, and down to the ninth floor. He gave him a key and showed him which locks led to which floors. The ninth floor was a general entertainment floor. The main room had couches, two televisions, a large stereo, bookcases, and video game consoles, a few low tables with chairs, a full length bar with stools, and many people lounging around. He saw Reno sitting at the bar, where Terra stood filling a few glasses. He called over. "Pour me one."

They glanced at him, and shrugged before adding another glass to the line. He walked over, ignoring Roxas watching him and Ventus, and downed it. It seared down his throat, and he let out a loud breath. Ventus threw his back and nodded gratefully to Terra. The blond stood in front of the television everyone was watching and crossed his arms.

"I need some volunteers." Some people gulped. Others perked up. "A rescue mission. Our new guy, Seifer, he went out to the next city over, and he went missing after he and Terra were attacked." They looked at each other, uncertain. Ventus narrowed his eyes. "Really, guys? You'd leave him out there, possibly hurting and probably dead? Remember how he always talked about his boyfriend, the guy who was tougher than anyone he had ever met? You know, that guy who he couldn't wait to see again? Who was supposed to join us when he could leave their town?" They nodded slowly. "He always talked about how much he loved this kid. We could see it in his eyes, couldn't we?" They agreed heartily. "Well, the kid finally comes and now Seifer ain't here to see him. Why not give Hayner a hand and help him find his lover, eh?"

They all looked at Hayner and he squared his shoulders. "Well, if none a you want to help, I can go by myself. Hopefully I can last long enough to die by his side."

They all looked down, frowns on their faces. Still no one volunteered. He turned to the elevator, fully intending to go down to vegetate in Zack's room. However, Roxas spoke up. "Cloud and I will go."

He started. "This could be dangerous, Rox. You sure?"

He scowled at Hayner. "You doubting me? Because I am not afraid to go XIII on your ass, and Cloud will ninja you into oblivion."

Cloud made a sound of disapproval. "Stop claiming I'm some kind of ninja!"

They ignored him, as they had gotten used to doing. Cloud sighed and wrote it off to stupid kids.

"We'll be fine, and they won't give us anything else to do anyway."

It was agreed, and they went down in the elevator to the apartment that the whole Twilight Town group was staying in. Reno and Axel sputtered when they found out that their boyfriends were going out on such a dangerous assignment. They understood, but they also didn't want their lovers to get hurt. Hayner crossed his arms.

"I'm not the one who insists."

Axel sighed and pat his blond on the head. "You'll be fine, just be careful. And Come back as Roxas, not XIII." He nodded gravely.

Reno huffed. "Well, when are you guys leaving?"

They all looked to Ventus. He looked down, thinking for a while. "We'll leave the day after tomorrow. Hayner can finish his healing on the drive there. You guys can have your day in bed to say bye. I'll see what I can get out of Terra, and if he's coming with us."

Roxas's twin turned quickly, but Roxas stopped him. "Mind if I come with? I think we need to talk." Ventus nodded, and they left, shoulders tense.

Hayner shook his head in wonder at how alike the twins acted, even when they hadn't met each other before. Suddenly, Axel swept out of the room, slamming the door to his bedroom shut. The three in the main room sat in silence.

"I'll go alone."

They looked at him like he was insane. Cloud scooted over, and Reno moved to sit on his other side. Surrounded by his older friends, he felt the kindness seeping into him.

"I know what it's like to have their lover missing. I don't want that for any of you. Axel doesn't deserve that, and you don't, Reno. And imagine being the one who's missing." He stood. "I'm leaving tonight. Ventus shouldn't have to deal with this either."

He went over to his bag, which was sitting in the corner. The carry-all was already packed for travel, and he grabbed his cell phone and wallet. With that, Hayner left the room, jogging out so he would miss Roxas. His best friend would kill him if he knew. The former skater searched around, wondering if he could get someone to drive him. That's when he saw Sephiroth. The man was much thinner and his skin was yellowed with exhaustion. He cocked his head in surprise when he saw Hayner.

"When did you get here?"

The blond shrugged. "A day or so ago. I was unconscious, so I'm not sure. How's Genesis doing?"

He smiled broadly. "Amazing. He's improving every day, remembering us more and more. Soon, they want me to bring him here to see everyone again. What about Cloud?" he asked with a hint of worry.

"He's fine, everything considered. He and Reno just started dating, though I don't see much time for that in the next while." The silver haired man nodded in agreement. "What are you doing now, though?"

He shrugged. "Nothing. The next two days, they're taking Gen for a tour of the city. I'm supposed to stay out of the way. They'll call if he wants to talk to me. Why?"

"I need a ride to the next city over. The one where Seifer was last seen." Sephiroth looked at him darkly. "Don't worry, Aqua wants me to go, but I don't think any of the others deserves the risk, what with having lovers and family and all that. I just want to find Seifer. Whether I live through it or not, well we'll find that out later."

Sephiroth stared him down for a while. "Who was supposed to go?"

"Ventus, Roxas, Cloud, and maybe Terra, maybe not."

He nodded. "Alright. I'll drive you over, and stick around a few days. I'll call the doctors and tell them I might not be in for a little bit." He smiled. "It's the least I could do, after how much you and Seifer took care of us. Genesis might not be alive if it weren't for you. And I can't help but want to help you find him."

Hayner smiled. "Thanks. When do we leave?"

"Right after I pack a bag. So, about an hour."

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And quick as lightning, Hayner is already leaving for the hometown of a new friend. Guess who and where! Leave a review! Yell at me to post more! Flame! Go ahead, I can take it!


	10. Chapter 10

I Apologize greatly to all of the readers. I'd like to make excuses, like "Stressful time in my life" and "Busy with preparing for the future" and "I've been too busy with my new boyfriend" but even though they are all true, I should have still updated on this, even if just for the near daily new subscribers and the old ones I wish to beg the forgiveness of.

I know this is short, but I wrote it today and hope you guys like it!

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"So how far away is Balamb?"

Sephiroth waved the question. "Only an hour and a half if you go by the driving laws. Half an hour by how most of us drive. So, since I'm only kind of reckless, an hour."

Hayner nodded, looking out the window, watching the rural neighborhoods beneath the highway go by. In one, he saw someone getting jumped. "If we get control of Balamb, we'll be able to clear out the neighborhoods? I don't necessarily like to see a drive-by next to a playground."

"Well, that's the plan. To get the stretch between the cities without stepping on toes, we either need to take control, or get permission from the guys in control." He glanced over at the blond. "We aren't the bad type of gang that terrorizes everyone for the sake of it. We provide protection and lost and found services more than anything. We get hired by the businesses to protect them from the thugs who would actually rob them. We also place families and people under our protection if they show character."

Hayner sighed. The rest of the drive was silent, and they passed an obvious border from rural to city. He gave the man directions to the area they lost sight of Seifer. Surprisingly, the gang activity there was huge. There were guys leaning on every street corner, all wearing a black cloth around their upper arm. One caught sight of him watching them, and frowned. Hayner forced himself to look scared, and ducked down. After they passed the area, he turned to Sephiroth. "A guy saw me. I think he's following us, since my acting there wasn't good. Be careful."

They left the area slightly, finding a decent motel. They checked in, got their keys, and brought their stuff in the room. It wouldn't do to have that taken too, just in case they stole the car. They kept the blinds down and went over the file.

Hayner started analyzing. "Okay, so the fight was on First and Geriad. Terra was chased all the way to the outskirts of the city. We've seen so much activity around the whole place, all with the black bandanas, that there's no mistaking it. They're somewhat organized, we just need a name and a leader. We can find the main meeting place easy. We have to decide how I'm gonna do this. I can just get firearms and power my way through, or I can try to infiltrate."

Sephiroth flailed a bit. "Whoa whoa, whoa there. You aren't doing this alone."

He nodded. "Yeah, I am. You're going back home so you can live another day to see Genesis. He needs you."

"No, I can't leave you here!"

"Okay, but you will. I have next to no hope for getting Seifer out with me alive. But, I have every intention to be by his side, no matter the consequences. I have to at least try, but I can't let anyone else get caught."

"We need to call in the whole of SOLDIER for this. There are too many!"

Hayner shook his head. "Get in the car and drive home. Call the doctors to talk to Genesis. I know he'll feel something is wrong, unless you tell him you're home and safe. He needs you and you need him. Leave it at that."

They sat in silence for a while. It was hard for Sephiroth to stand and leave. He got in his car and turned the key in the ignition, guilt clawing at him. He had to call Aqua. He waited till he was out of the city and dialed the office. "Hey, I need to talk to Aqua. No, Terra, it can't wait. I don't care that she's in a panic about missing Hayner, I know where he is."

Hayner slept until night fell, and he threw on his camouflage. He was shirtless again, and grabbed a black scrap of cloth as a peace flag, in case they tried to jump him before he got close. He also hid the files in a panel in the ceiling. He had a feeling the room would be searched while he was away. He stepped out and locked the door, glancing around before heading toward First and Geriad. When he got there, all of the members were eyeing him suspiciously. They noticed the black cloth hanging from his pocket, but they didn't mention it. He walked up to the guy who seemed the calmest.

"How do I join?"

Several started reaching for their weapons, but the man waved them off. "Why do you wanna join?"

"I need the money from this shit for my dad's debt, which he left with me when he died."

The guy, a tall man with dark skin, frowned. "The government handles that shit."

Hayner shook his head. "It ain't the kind of debt that you can go to the government about. His dealers are on me about their money." He was being relatively truthful. The only difference was that they had already tipped off the police and they had arrested them. All of them.

The man nodded slowly. He held out a hand. "Name's Dilan." Hayner shook it firmly. "I'll take you up to see the boss. He handles newbies, but you have to get his attention while you talk to him. He hasn't been interested lately."

Hayner nodded. "Mind telling me what you guys call yourselves?"

Dilan grinned. "We're The Heartless."

He followed the man to a car, and he drove them a few blocks away to an apartment building. He was taken up to the fourth floor and into a conference room, where a man sat at the head of the table. He was a dark skinned, creepy scholar type of man. He eyed me with a bit of disdain. "And who are you and why are you here?"

He sounded pissed off, so Hayner squared his shoulders and tried to look impressive. "I'm here to join The Heartless."

The man eyed him. "Why should I let you in? You can't be more than eighteen."

Hayner cocked his head. "And? What's your point?"

His eyes widened slightly. "Spunk. I like that. Why you here?"

"My dad kicked it a while back, and before that he was in jail. His dealers still want their money. I went to SOLDIER, but they refused to help me. I want to take this city by storm. I want to run it like it's my bitch." He made himself scowl. "The uppity bitches need to get their asses kicked, too."

The leader of The Heartless grinned ear to ear. "Good. I like you. What's your name?"

Hayner thought fast. "Nate."

He smiled. "Not anymore. From here on out, you're Xenta. I like the fire in your eyes. I'll be keeping a close eye on you."

Hayner had a bad feeling about the odd glint in his eye.

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Feel free to yell at me for the long wait, or tell me how you liked this!


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